Adviser Asif, PSC opens dialogues with protesters

Job seekers and students brought traffic to a standstill at capital's Shahbagh intersection on Sunday evening, April 27, escalating their campaign for Public Service Commission reforms (PSC). The blockade began around 6:30 PM as protesters voiced frustration over unmet demands.

Later in the evening, Government Advisor Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan from the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, alongside PSC representatives, engaged in discussions with protesters at the Dhaka University Journalists' Association (DUJA) office. Tensions ran high as demonstrators chanted, "Break the black hand of the syndicate, smash it down" during the meeting.

The protesters remain resolute, with hunger strikes continuing despite health concerns. "Our hunger strike will continue until our demands are met, specifically until the exam scheduled for the 8th is postponed," said a demonstrator. Three protesters have already been hospitalised at Bangladesh Medical University during the 80-hour protest.

The unrest follows Asif Mahmud's fourth consecutive daily visit to hunger-striking students at the Raju Sculpture on Dhaka University campus. Their eight-point list of demands includes reforming the PSC and punishing those responsible for exam question leaks.

The visited the demonstration but failed to provide concrete assurances. According to one protester, "He listened to our demands and assured us he had conveyed our message to higher authorities."

Traffic congestion severely affected the Shahbagh area as talks continued into the night, with no resolution reported at press time.

NRE/HKJ